


Jungle Boy

by bardocksheadband



Series: Dragon Ball Tarzan AU [1]
Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Tarzan Fusion, F/M, Inspired by Tarzan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:07:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23977927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bardocksheadband/pseuds/bardocksheadband
Summary: Forced to live among apes since a baby, Kakarot believes this is the only way of life until he saves the human Chi-Chi. With the different world he's introduced to and secrets about his past, Kakarot now has to decide where he belongs. Tarzan AU.
Relationships: Bardock/Gine (Dragon Ball), Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
Series: Dragon Ball Tarzan AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121723
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Every Gesture, Every Move That She Makes

**Author's Note:**

> I love Goku/Chi-Chi SO much, and I know GoChi day is fast approaching (May 7th or 5/7) This story, which will be fleshed out through 3-4 chapters, is dedicated to the ship I love so hard. I hope that someone out there enjoys it, and I should have all the chapters uploaded just in time for GoChi day :-)
> 
> If you happen to catch any mistakes while reading, please let me know and I'll fix it ASAP.
> 
> Inspired by Betaruga's GoChi Tarzan AU artwork, and of course, Disney's Tarzan. I highly recommend listening to the Tarzan soundtrack while reading!

The baby's pod was the first to slam into the thick damp grounds of the jungle. His eyes had only opened a couple times in his brief life. The first time was when he saw his mother, drenched in sweat, looking down at him with tears in her eyes. The second time was when his father was hastily securing him into the seat of the pod he was currently trapped in.

Not seeing either of those people for the third time, he released a loud deafening cry. Above him, completely covering the sky, were tree tops. Monkeys who had similar tails like the one he cradled himself with looked down at him curiously. His dark eyes expanded wide in terror. Although the creatures in the trees looked a lot like his family, he didn't recognize them.

He was about to release another series of wales until a calm voice from above said,

"Shh, my baby. Shh. Mama's here."

As if he weren't screaming his lungs out a few seconds prior, the baby outstretched his chubby arms and clapped his hands together in excitement. He knew that voice and face very well. It was the first one he had ever heard. Within moments, she had jumped down into his crater and was removing him gently from the harness. As soon as she lifted him up and pressed him against her chest, he rubbed his face against hers. Both of their flesh was smooth to the touch.

He cooed and cuddled her, thankful she had found him. She held him tightly as she jumped out of the crater. The messy haired baby looked over his mother's shoulder and watched the place where his pod had fallen begin to fade into the background. He could see other crash sites around them as they continued their walk through the unknown jungle. They weren't alone out here.

The baby loved the way his mother was patting his back and humming lowly. He loved it so much that he closed his eyes and dozed off. He remained sleeping even when they stopped moving.

"What do we do now?" her voice was a quiet kind of sad. Something had happened recently that wasn't good.

The father of the boy was standing in front of her. He had the same hairstyle, but his face was more like his other son who was currently holding onto his leg. "We make it our new home."

There was another young child, same age as the baby's older brother. His hair stuck up like a black flame. He scoffed and kicked a rock in the direction of the father. His little voice was big with confidence. "I've taken over planets stronger than this in my sleep. Just say when and I'll-"

"No!" the adult's voice barked, causing the flamed hair child to glare up at him. "We need to keep a low profile so we can't ever be found."

"But Bardock-" a large built man with a bowl cut opened his mouth in protest, but was quickly shut down by his superior.

"But nothing! Doing what I say is the only way we're going to survive," his voice was sharp and cruel as if he had completely forgotten that they had lost everything moments ago. "If you're hellbent on destroying something, go to another world and let Frieza discover you there. I'll kill any of you that does it here."

There was a painful hush in the middle of the jungle. The flamed hair boy who had just lost his father didn't shed any tears, but just rolled his eyes and turned his back on the self proclaimed new 'leader'. The leader's mate wondered for a second if the prince was going to leave, and it broke her heart. Although strong and cold-hearted, Vegeta was still just a child.

There was murmurs among the survivors as they took in Bardock's words. Different groups started breaking off, but not before giving Bardock the middle finger. They settled themselves back into their pods and entered coordinates to somewhere new. As they blasted off through the trees and into the sky, the mother chanced another look at where she had seen the prince. He was still there. He wasn't making eye contact with anyone, but he was there. The mother felt relief wash over her.

The remaining survivors stood in a circle around their leader. It was his old crew of Fasha, Borgos, Shugesh, and Tora, his two sons, Gine, and the prince. He nodded at each of them when they made eye contact. "You'll all do as I say. Understand?"

Everyone but Gine, her sleeping baby, and the prince nodded. Bardock's mate couldn't help but think he sounded an awful lot like someone they had escaped from. She was going to quietly scold him for being so harsh after what they had just witnessed, but was interrupted when the primates from the trees had landed on their feet to surround them.

A large dark gray ape got close to Bardock and pointed to the brown bushy tail wrapped around his waist. "Are you friend," he grunted. "Or foe?"

The fact that the ape had spoken their language took Bardock by both surprise, amusement, and hidden embarrassment. Had Frieza been correct when shouting around the slur of calling them monkeys?

"That depends. You have a place for us to stay?"

"Yes," the ape barred his teeth into a smile. "Hidden. Among other animal friends. Away from humans. Away from others. Join us?"

As Bardock studied the ape's face, Fasha pulled Tora's ear down to her level and whispered in his ear. "I think he's lost his mind!"

"Yeah, no kidding..."

The leader nodded his head, and the ape took off. The other monkeys had followed behind him. Tora cleared his throat and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Boss, I don't think the crew wants to be shacking up with apes the rest of their lives. You sure about this?"

"Yeah," Raditz's tiny voice coming from below was disgusted. "They smell bad."

Bardock closed his eyes as more complaints filled their small circle. He had done everything he could to save anyone he possibly could from a tyrant's vicious wrath. All scouters had to be destroyed prior to departure and now all of the pods that were evidence needed to be destroyed as well. Bardock himself loved destroying planets as much as the next Saiyan, but this was serious. There had to be no proof that they were alive on this little planet. They needed to blend in, however demeaning it may be.

He shot his mate a look. She had been dangerously quiet, but at least she wasn't complaining. She knew what she was getting into. He knew that she would do anything she had to in order to keep her sons alive.

"They speak our language for a reason. We will become one of them," Bardock spoke through clenched teeth and fists. "You'll have exactly one minute to decide if you're in before I destroy the pods."

Shugesh and Borgos waved him off and made their way back to the crash sites. Tora hung his head after watching them disappear. He was surprised to see Fasha still remaining by her leader's side, despite her pained expression. Even in times like this, she respected her leader no matter what. She was loyal. The warrior, deciding that he owed Bardock, patted his friend's shoulder once again.

"You got me and Fasha, man. We'll go destroy the pods for you if you want to get a move on."

The men shook on it. Bardock looked over his shoulder at his mate, who was rocking the sleeping Kakarot in her arms. She gave him a small smile while her tail whipped rapidly behind her. "After you."

After her mate had followed where the apes went with her oldest son following close behind, Gine looked to the prince who was standing there with trembling fists. Still holding her baby, she dropped down onto one knee so she was eye level with the feisty child. "You don't always have to be so prideful, you know. You don't have to do what they do, but at least stay with us? I owe it to the king to take care of you."

Vegeta said nothing. He slapped the woman's hand out the way before it could touch his cheek. Despite his demeanor, he had followed in the direction of her mate and son. As she stood up, she was prepared to do the same but Kakarot was beginning to wake up. She held him out in front of her and felt her eyes swell up with tears.

"This is going to be the only life you'll know," Gine sniffed and brought him back towards her to kiss his forehead. "I hope it's a great one."

\--

Chi-Chi wiped her damp forehead with a handkerchief she removed from the back pocket of her khaki shorts. She placed it back in its rightful spot and continued her way through Mount Paozu. The girl was thankful that she had been given a ride up until she reached the border. The rest of the way needed to be hiked. Mount Paozu was wildly untouched by humans, except for one. She sighed in relief and thanked the good Kami upstairs that she finally came across his tiny house.

She had raised her fist to knock on the door but before she could touch it an old man appeared. He was much shorter than her, but that could be blamed on his age. His white mustache danced when he spoke. "Ah! You must be Ox's daughter!"

Chi-Chi flashed him a peace sign and laughed. "And you're Gohan! You got the map?"

Gohan chuckled nervously as he turned his head in both directions. He could feel a sweatdrop forming when he noticed this girl was all by herself. "...You didn't bring any reinforcements?"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. Obviously, her dad didn't do a good job on filling in the old man of how much of an ass-kicker she was. She gestured to the sword that was between her back and her backpack. "That's the only reinforcement I need."

"Oh dear..." Gohan gulped. "Sweetheart, the only reason I asked your dad to send help instead of me doing it on my own is because the jungle is a scary place by yourself! Not only is the jaguar out there, but so is the wild monkey man. He's insane!"

Chi-Chi couldn't help but laugh at the terrified expression on his face. She took a swig of water from her canteen around her neck and screwed the top back on. From what she knew, Jungle Boy was a myth. "Have you actually seen this weirdo?"

"No, but I hear him screaming in the night every now and then! It's different from the apes. It's human-like. Prevents me from sleeping each time."

Chi-Chi blew her bangs off her forehead and patted the old man on his shoulder. She wasn't afraid of anything, especially not a fabled monkey man. What was he going to do, anyway? Throw a banana at her? "My dad wouldn't send me here if he didn't think I could handle it. Please believe that. I'll get that jaguar that's been killing your livestock and make it back before dark. Sound good?"

Gohan wanted to protest, but the girl was as stubborn as they came. He could tell that from the moment he saw her walking up the steps. He slowly handed her the map which she took gently. "That X is where I have a suspicion of where it lurks. Please... if you feel any uncertainty, run back to me as quickly as you can."

"I appreciate how much you care," she truly did. It was like she speaking to her own grandfather. "I'm not coming back here without the body of that beast. You can count on that." With last one wink, Chi-Chi turned her back on the old man and disappeared into the darkness of the trees. Gohan sighed deeply and sent a prayer up to whoever was listening that the girl would come back in one piece.

\--

A teenage Kakarot was currently trapped in a headlock by his brother who was giving him a noogie. The messy haired boy laughed and managed to push him off the branch they were resting on. Raditz used his tail to catch himself before falling to the muddy ground beneath them. The oldest of the two swung upside down lazily. His long black hair was cast downward.

"Nice try, little brother. But you still aren't stronger than me."

Kakarot laughed and flicked one of his brother's big toes. "At least I'm not ugly!"

The two brothers had fallen down onto the ground and were about to start fighting again until a red furred ape came running into towards the troop. Kakarot had stopped her when he noticed she was crying. He was sitting just like her, with his knuckles pressed into the soil.

"What happened!?"

"The beast..." the female released the saddest sound that Kakarot had only heard a few times. It was her way of crying. "It took my baby..."

Kakarot and Raditz exchanged a knowing glance and grunted. The beast had killed many of the babies over the last few months and even some mothers. Bardock never allowed anyone to travel beyond their side of the river to kill it. Kakarot couldn't stand to see yet another one of his people losing someone they loved. "Do you know where our dad is?"

Raditz tilted his head. He hated when his brother had that look on his face. It always meant he was up to no good. "He's helping collect fruit... You know he's going to be pissed if he finds out you went to the other side."

The younger brother gestured to the female, who was in mourning. "I can't sit by and let that beast get away with this any longer! Can you!?"

The other male's gaze pingponged between the two and sighed loudly. Whether he approved or not, his brother was going to do whatever the hell he wanted. "Alright, but if Father asks I'm telling the truth."

Kakarot grinned with his full teeth and patted his chest. "I better leave now, then." He nodded at the red ape who was tapping her heart adoringly.

"Thank you, Kakarot... I believe in you..."

Raditz watched as his brother began swinging through the trees at their highest location, making it easier for him to find what he was looking for. The brother gestured towards the female apes who were waiting for mourning mother to find comfort in them. She moved towards them quickly and left the long haired male alone. Soon after he squatted on a cold dark rock and looked up at the trees. Kakarot was long gone.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

His mother had emerged from behind him. About a year into living in this strange world, they had ditched their armor and wore thin cloths of animal hides. They only hid what was once considered their private anatomy. Their exposed skin, in addition to their tails, made them more relatable to the rest of the troop. Raditz could remember a few details of his life before this, but he was convinced Kakarot truly believed he was an ape.

Realizing how long he was taking to answer Gine, Raditz cleared his throat. "The beast killed Kiah's son."

Gine pressed her hands to her shocked mouth and sadness took over her sad, large eyes that resembled Kakarot's. "What an evil thing! Someone has to do something about it!"

Raditz chuckled. "Well I'm glad you feel that way because..."

\--

It wasn't until her stomach growled loudly that Chi-Chi realized she hadn't eaten since the morning she left Fire Mountain. She waited until she found a safe looking grassy patch and dropped down onto her knees. She slid her backpack off her slender shoulders and leaned her sword against the tree next to her. The warrior princess found herself humming a relaxing tune as she placed a towel in front of her.

Someone listening to her heard that tune before.

Oblivious to the eyes watching her, Chi-Chi started spreading out a delicious spread of homemade food in front of her. It would taste even better if it were warm, but it was still going to taste oh so good. She inhaled deeply and let out a groan. It had been way too long. She used her chopsticks to lift up some rice but before the deliciousness touched her taste buds, she heard a predatory growl from behind.

Without a second thought, Chi-Chi snatched her sword and spun around. The jaguar, its mouth freshly bloodied from a recent meal, was stalking towards her. It was much bigger than she had anticipated, but the princess charged full force with the intent of the sword going straight through the center of the creature's eyes.

She deeply underestimated the power of the wild cat.

Its body had knocked the sword completely out of her hands with nothing but a graze. The jaguar pinned her down and was ready to take a chunk of flesh off her face. Chi-Chi screamed loudly at the sight of its fangs with skin and fur dangling in between. She closed her eyes tightly, disbelieving that she was going to die like this. Its nails were digging into her shoulders and she figured it was either the claws or the teeth that would kill her first.

She waited.

Waited.

Waited.

But death never came.

Her eyes shot open as she felt the jaguar's nails were lifted from her skin. The animal was being pulled from behind by its neck, and Chi-Chi watched in a mixture of relief and horror as a large pair of human hands snapped its neck. The dead body was the only thing between her and a man wearing nothing but a loin cloth. She winced as she propped herself up with her elbows. Her arms would have become detached if the jaguar had a chance to dig deeper.

She studied her savior. His hair was in a style she had never seen before, all spiked out in different directions. His pectorals were large and a finely tuned six pack was directly beneath them. She was studying his arms until they dropped down. His knuckles were dragging in the grass as he hobbled over to her like an ape.

Like an ape...

She finally noticed the tail swishing behind him as he got closer. Any sane person would hightail it out of there, but Chi-Chi just couldn't look away. He was grunting and investigating different parts of her body. She blinked as he removed a bug from her hair and ate it.

"Ew..." she muttered but her eyes hadn't lost their wide shape. He pressed two fingers against her wounds on her shoulders gently and then brought them up to his nose to sniff them. He wiped the blood off on his chest and then continued to inspect her.

Is this who the old man was so afraid of? This monkey man was so...

"Hey!" she giggled. "Stop!"

He was down by her feet and removing her hiking boots followed by her socks. He sniffed her socks and made a gagging noise before throwing both to the side. Her laughter filled his ears as he touched the same number of toes that he had. He ran his hand up her leg and she thought he'd stop once he reached the hem of her shorts. Instead, he patted her privates.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" she sat up fully and punched him under his chin. The monkey man grunted as he stumbled backward. He twitched his face and stood in the same ape pose as before, staring at her reddened face with wide eyes. The human took a deep breath and stood up to brush herself off. She continued to glare at the male as she did so. "Even though you're a pervert, I guess I should thank you for saving my life."

The man released a series of grunts and pounded the ground as she retrieved her socks and boots. When she bent over to put them on, he scurried over to her and smacked her butt with the back of his knuckles.

\--

Kakarot sat in front of the strange creature. She used her hands to eat like he does, but she used tools to help her. He watched as her soft lips opened up to bite the food and then swallow it. Her eyebrow raised up and he couldn't understand the noises that were coming out of her mouth. He still liked the way it sounded. Her eyes rolled like Vegeta's does.

"I don't know if it's you or your food that smells nice, but something sure is making me hungry!"

She seemed to understand the way he rubbed his belly because she pointed to her food. Kakarot held his palms out to her and she placed some of her mushy food onto them. He sniffed it once before greedily consuming it. He liked his hands all over and he could hear her releasing a beautiful sound. She was laughing. He knew it was laughing because his mom looked the same way when she saw something that was funny.

"Can I have some more!?"

His palms were out again. She placed a large amount on them and he ate it. She continued to share her food with him. He had never tasted anything this good his entire life. It was so much better than anything his dad would bring back. After most of the food was gone, he watched as she removed a piece of cloth from her bag and wiped her mouth.

It looked a lot like what he wore.

"Seems strange, but okay!" He removed his loin cloth and wiped his mouth with it. He watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell backwards.

\--

Chi-Chi was fanning herself after briefly loosing consciousness. Thankfully, the monkey man had covered up his privates again. She wondered if he could understand her or just knew by her body language. After all, she was using his body language to understand. This guy wasn't human, and wasn't an ape. He was somewhere in between. He didn't seem to know how to speak.

She pointed to her chest with her index fingers as he raised an eyebrow. He was crouching down in front of her. "Me, Chi-Chi. Me, Chi-Chi," she repeated herself and then pointed at him. "You?"

It was quiet as the male in front of her kept pointing to her and then himself. She could hear the sounds of birds calling out to one another and the sound of the river splashing with fish. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"You," he pointed at her. "Chi-Chi?"

She smiled brightly and pointed at herself along with him. "Yes! Chi-Chi!"

He returned her smile and then pointed at himself. "Me... Kakarot."

Kakarot? What a strange name. She wondered who named him, and if all apes called their babies some weird vegetable name. She kept her smile sweet despite the burning questions. "Me, Chi-Chi. You, Kakarot. Hi Kakarot." She was waving, and he returned it.

"Chi-Chi!" he grunted and stood up on his feet. He was pounding his chest and grinning as he said her name. "Chi-Chi!"

"Very good," the princess winked and then pointed up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set and she didn't want to be out in this jungle when it night came. She needed to get the body of the jaguar back to Gohan in order to get paid. She pointed up to the sky then behind her with her thumb. "I need to go home. Night comes," she frowned and wagged her finger. "No good."

Kakarot blinked at her, not understanding this one. He watched her stand up and place her belongings on her back. She stood up straight like he would sometimes, but she did it more often. When she grabbed the beast's legs, he let out a howl and pounded his chest. He was standing up like her, towering above her.

"Ohhh, what!?" Chi-Chi dropped the jaguar's legs to place her hands on her hips. "You're very interesting Kakarot but I need to-"

After a few more grunts, he used two hands to lift her up by the waist and sling her over his shoulder. They left the jaguar behind as he jumped high onto a tree branch. The woman was pounding his back and screaming loudly.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME...Oh my gosh are we getting higher or is it just..."

\--

The female had grown silent and Kakarot thought she died. He placed her down on another branch and pressed his ear against her chest. He smiled when he could hear her heart beating. All she had done was fall asleep.

He flung her over his shoulder again and swung through the trees using both his tail and free arm. The smile never left his face as he continued on his way to bring Chi-Chi home to show everyone.


	2. This Growing Need to be Beside Her

"It's a good find this time."

Bardock agreed with the large silver back next to him with a head nod. They were walking on their knuckles back to the nests. Baskets that Gine had made were filled to the top with fruit for the troop. Smaller adult apes were following behind with their own baskets on their backs. "Zaire, does it ever bother you that my kind kills other animals for meat?"

It was a question he had been wanting to ask for awhile. He had put his two crew members and family through enough with mimicking the apes' lifestyle, but changing their eating habits was asking entirely too much. He will never forget the day Vegeta brought the carcass of an alligator to the nests and ate it whole, or the stunned look on the apes' faces as they watched the then five year old with blood all over his face.

Zaire grunted. He was the leader of his troop and the largest silver back in the jungle. "No harm to us. You take care of predators. You protect us."

The two leaders exchanged looks of mutual respect before turning their attention back to the grassy path in front of them. They were almost to the nest, and just in time before darkness took over. The troop is hungry. The females had hustled towards the males and gratefully removed the baskets from their backs. The infants joined their mothers for their dinner.

Zaire had his own basket, and rightfully so. Before he could remove a banana from the basket, he tapped Bardock on the shoulder to get his attention away from a crying mother. "Your mate. She's upset."

Bardock looked in the direction of where his large finger was pointing. Gine was standing on the rocks that were above the nests. She was standing up straight, something she'd hardly done since living in the jungle unless it was serious. Her bare arms were crossed over hide covered chest and her wide eyes were small from scrunching her face together. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Uh oh. Looks like I'm sleeping with you tonight, Big Guy."

"I'd rather you work out your issues," Zaire took a bit of his banana at last and tossed the peel over his shoulder. "I don't want you next to me. You smell."

Bardock snorted and shook his head. That dry sense of humor never failed to amuse him. Still keeping his walking form apelike, Bardock found his way to Gine. His oldest son was behind her cutting up an ocelot into even pieces for the family of four with a knife he had found last year while scavenging. He was completely avoiding eye contact with his father, which only raised more concern.

"What's wrong?"

Gine began tapping her barefoot against the smooth surface of the rock. She was waiting for Bardock to stand up. He growled, but did it anyway. The mother let out a huff as she looked up at his face. "Didn't I always tell you that the strict regulations you put on your sons would bite you in your butt one day?"

"Boy!" he barked suddenly, causing Raditz to jump. The eldest son was sweating profusely now but continued to get dinner ready. "What in the hell did you do!?"

The protective mother jabbed him in the chest, causing him to move back one step. "It wasn't him! It's Kakarot," her eyes narrowed but her voice softened. "He went to the other side of the river to kill the beast. It took Kiah's son... That was hours ago. Something so simple for him shouldn't take this long."

The father could feel his blood beginning to boil. His exposed chest was beginning to heave while he did his best to conceal his breathing. The troop in the nests below were growing concerned and stopped eating to look up at him. "Fasha, Tora!" he ordered, and the two came scurrying over to him from behind the rocks. They had just returned from their own hunt.

"What is it, Bardock!?" his loyal friends said in unison. They were crouched down and prepared to do whatever he asked of them.

"Kakarot," his teeth were out. "He could be-"

All the Saiyans and apes turned their heads to look at the noise that was coming from above. The son in question was emerging from the tree tops, holding on tightly to a vine with one hand while the other kept his discovery in place. With their noses flared, Bardock and Zaire made their way to the front of the crowd that were gaping at what Kakarot dropped onto the nest he landed on.

Kakarot was smiling brightly as he pointed at the sleeping woman. He jumped from foot to foot, thinking that the looks everyone was giving him was out of excitement. "Dad, look! She doesn't have a tail and she sounds funny but she's just like you and me!"

Bardock blinked for a moment, and Kakarot mistook that silence for adoration. Instead, his father's lips curled in disgust and his voice came out cold. "That thing is not like us."

The soon scratched his head. He had stopped jumping and was crouched down like the others. He lifted up a strand of her dark hair gently and tried again. "Yes, look-"

"NO," Zaire's voice was loud and commanding. The sound of it made Kakarot gulp. He had never heard the silver back's tone be so hateful. "That thing is a human! Humans are dangerous. Evil. You need to get rid of her."

Kakarot frowned, heartbroken. He wasn't expecting this reaction at all. Some of the young apes wanted to get close to Chi-Chi but their mothers gathered them up quickly and hid behind the trees like she really was something dangerous. But that couldn't be true. She wanted to kill the beast, not him. She shared her delicious food. She laughed like his mom does. She was warm and her heart beat like theirs. If she was a human, what was he?

He looked to the one person who could help him out.

After he had caught her eyes, Gine shook her head sadly. It was going to be hard to save her son from this one, but she would do her best. "She knows that we exist. Why don't we keep her around until we are certain she won't tell anyone about us?"

Zaire got inches from her face while pounding his chest violently. Bardock had intervened with his own series of loud grunts and stood protectively in front of her. "Bardock! You know what a threat that human is to our family!"

"We're in danger no matter what!" Bardock snarled. The troop and Saiyans weren't sure what to do. They had never seen the leaders in each other's face before. "If we kill her or keep her, someone comes looking for her! If we release her she'll reveal all of us to this world!"

Kakarot cleared his throat to break the tension. The males shot lethal eyes in his direction. "She was all by herself when I found her. Nobody is gonna come looking for her! She was afraid of the dark and wanted to leave. Can we keep her around for just a little bit? Please?"

Raditz raised an eyebrow. Why the hell did Kakarot care so much about this female? Was it because she was the first he had found that he could mate with, or just that damn sensitivity in him that he inherited from their mother?

Zaire closed his eyes and exhaled through his nostrils. "A few days. Then she leaves. We'll need to find a new home after she's gone." The silver-back didn't even bother to make eye contact with his ally who he was just at odds against. He disappeared into the trees while the rest of the troop hesitantly went back to finishing their dinner.

Kakarot looked around at his family who remained. He reached out a hand to apologize to his father, but Bardock grabbed his arm tightly and tossed him. Gine screamed and crawled to Kakarot's side. His aching head was resting against his mother's shoulder as she seethed at her mate.

"You don't need to be such a jerk, you know! Kakarot was just trying to help the poor thing! He doesn't know any better!"

"Yeah," Bardock turned his back on his family. His youngest son had put their entire existence in danger and she didn't see that. "And whose fault is that?"

Raditz, with his knuckles pressed deep in the ground, watched silently as his father walked by him. Fasha and Tora mumbled something under their breaths and followed him. His mother was crying and cradling her son like he was baby again. "Stop that," the oldest rolled his eyes. "Kakarot's not bothered, are you little brother?"

Kakarot wasn't crying like his mother, but he was pretty bothered. His eyebrows had bunched together as he pulled away from his mom's grasp to look her in the eyes. "I know we aren't humans because Zaire wouldn't be living with us," he glanced over his shoulder to Chi-Chi who was still asleep. "But look at her, Mom! We're the same! You never told me there were others out there!"

Gine smiled sadly and wiped her tears away with her wrist. She placed a hand gently on her son's face to bring his attention back to her. "You're not a human, Kakarot."

The son shrugged his shoulders as he looked into his mother's eyes. "Then I'm an ape?"

"No. You're not an ape," Gine chuckled and brought her son up with her as she stood up. "I'll tell you about it another night. Maybe you'll understand why your father is the way he is."

Kakarot sighed and blew breath out of his mouth. His stomach growled signaling it was time to eat again. "Can she stay in the cave with us tonight?"

Gine looked up at her other son for an answer. Raditz towered over her more than Kakarot did. He simply rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, just keep it away from me."

\--

It was a smell she had recognized more than anything.

Fire.

Her eyes opened slowly. She wasn't in her soft, comfortable bed but on a hard, cold surface. The last thing she remembered was being lifted high into the trees. She shot straight up with wide eyes. That damn jungle boy kidnapped her!

Being the oh so cautious person she was even during a time of crisis, Chi-Chi knew not to react too quickly. She managed to control her breathing as she observed her surroundings. It was completely black save the light illuminating in a far off corner on the other side. Her backpack which had surprisingly survived the trip was leaning against the wall near the fire. Next to her backpack was a man with messy hair pointed out in all directions.

Jungle boy's back was facing her. He was studying the fire.

As she got to her feet, she realized that there were bodies surrounding her. It was too dark to tell who or what they were, but that didn't matter. She had a score to settle with the monkey man. She was able to avoid stepping on any of bodies as she navigated her way through what she know knew was a cave. Her face grew hot as she got closer, and it wasn't from the fire. She hadn't realized the loincloth only covered the front side. The bare butt of the monkey man was hovering inches from the ground as he squatted.

She wasn't sure if it was her breathing or he used some animal sense to detect she was there, but she found herself slammed against the cave's wall in an instant. Chi-Chi felt a shiver run down her spine when she realized this wasn't her jungle boy. The man who was pinning her wrists was older than Kakarot. His skin was slightly darker and a scar in the shape of an 'x' was crossed deep in his cheek. What had to be the biggest difference and what scared Chi-Chi the most were the eyes. His were the same dark color as Kakarot's, but reflected no light. They were cruel and burning her as she looked into them.

He was grunting at her and showing his teeth. He was speaking to her, but not as loudly as she had anticipated. Maybe he didn't want to wake up the others. His hard gaze continued to burn her, but she wasn't sure what he wanted to hear. Her high school never offered a course in monkey language.

"I'm Chi-Chi," her own voice sounded foreign to her. It was hoarse and weak. "Kakarot is my friend."

He really was her friend, in a way. She wondered if this guy was his dad or brother, and the idea that there could be multiple jungle boys out here made her a little uneasy. The princess held in her breath as he inhaled her scent. He must not have liked it very much judging by the disgusted look on his face. Just to get him back, Chi-Chi mocked up by inhaling deeply herself and then started coughing.

"You're no prize yourself, sir!"

He didn't seem to like that. His grip on her wrists had become tighter and she knew it would leave red marks behind. She was about to kick him right in the loincloth to free herself when a sleepy faced woman popped up behind them. She was standing up straight and speaking in that monkey language to each other. Chi-Chi couldn't help but notice the woman was pretty. They were about the same height, making them both shorter than the angry male. He released her after two loud grunts.

Now the two were arguing. Chi-Chi rubbed her swore wrists and began backing away from the situation that could get hostile at any moment. She was more concerned for the male than the female. As tiny as she was, she was feisty. Whatever she had told him caused him to free Chi-Chi, but it clearly pissed him off. Both their fangs were showing as they continued to clench and shake their fists.

"Chi-Chi?"

"AH!"

She whipped around expecting to see yet another stranger but immediately sighed in relief when she saw the sweet face she was looking for. After her encounter with the other one, she had forgotten she was planning on hitting Kakarot with a punch and kick combo. "Kakarot!" she couldn't help but gather him into a tight squeeze. It was a relief to see a sort-of familiar face. The princess glanced up to see him looking at her with those intense eyes of his. Her cheeks were glowing as she chuckled nervously. "Your home is very nice but, uh, I'd like to go home now."

"Home?" he repeated her but it was clear he didn't understand. He looked to what she assumed was a couple, who had stopped yelling at each other when Chi-Chi hugged him. She still hadn't let go, and even squeezed tighter when the male who attacked her earlier was sending ice cold daggers in her direction. They were all speaking to one another now with the female being the mediator. She was trying to keep Scarface from losing his temper, which Chi-Chi wondered if that happened often.

Scarface threw his hands up in the air and walked through the entrance of the cave. The female was holding her head as if the situation was hurting her. Chi-Chi felt Kakarot's hands gently push her shoulders away from him to go and comfort the woman. With the flicker of the flames illuminating their faces, the princess saw that they were indeed related. Their faces contained the same sweet eyes.

She had to be his mother.

Chi-Chi clasped her hands and pulled them close to her aching heart as she released an, "Aw!" She had always wanted to find a man that loved his family. It gave good insight of what kind of father he'd be.

Wait, what?

Did she really just think that?

Holding his mom's hand, Kakarot walked her over to Chi-Chi. He released her and then pushed her forward so the women were looking at each other. The mother smiled sweetly after moment's hesitation then pointed to her chest with two fingers. "Gine."

Chi-Chi had returned the smile and even waved. Her voice was gentle. "Hi Gine," she pointed to herself. "I'm Chi-Chi. You are very lovely." The princess watched as Gine elbowed her son's chest and told him something that made him turn red. He grabbed the top of her head and gently moved her out of the way so now he was the only one in front of Chi-Chi.

Kakarot gestured to the ground where Gine was beginning to lay down. He continued to point downwards. "Chi-Chi."

The woman in question blinked. She then placed folded hands against her cheek and closed her eyes to see if she was understanding correctly. "You want me to sleep?"

Kakarot eyes lit up the same way it always did when they understood each other. "Chi-Chi, sleep!" he pointed at himself. "Kakarot, sleep."

He was asking her to sleep with him. She'd slap him across the face if he was anyone else but an innocent monkey man. She shook her head then used her thumb and index fingers to pry her eyes wide open. "No sleep. Wide awake."

Kakarot frowned and rubbed his chin, trying to think. That smile came back as soon as he started nodding. He took Chi-Chi by the hand and brought her outside where she had seen the male escape to. If Gine was his mother, then that guy had to be his father. Sure enough, the brute was standing there with his arms across his chest. Unlike Kakarot, his tail was wrapped around his waist.

"Chi-Chi," Kakarot was still grinning, but it was a bit uneasy as if he wasn't sure what he was doing. He dragged her towards his dad, who was looking just as pissed as before if not even more. "Bardock."

"Um," Chi-Chi wiped her free hand on her shorts to get rid of the sweat and offered it to Bardock for a handshake. If these people knew what a hug and holding hand was, maybe there was a chance a handshake was universal as well. "Hi, Bardock. Sorry I scared you earlier..."

Thanks for nearly breaking my wrists, asshole.

That's what she should have said, anyway. They wouldn't understand her.

Instead of shaking her hand, Bardock shouted something at Kakarot that made him wince. As the two began shouting different noises at each other, Chi-Chi awkwardly tucked her hand into her pocket. This felt like one of those cliche movies where the beloved perfect son brings home a rebellious street girl. Although she was far from it, this Bardock guy was making her feel she had red flags written all over her.

Hello, your son basically kidnapped me.

After Bardock had dismissed them by returning inside the cave, Kakarot told her something and rubbed her back as if to say everything was going to be okay. He then pointed to his own back and crouched down low. He wanted her to get on.

"Finally taking me home?" she sighed as she straddled herself on. Her thin arms were wrapped around his thick neck for support. "We're going to need my backpack-AH!"

Leaving her belongings and the cave behind, Kakarot and Chi-Chi disappeared deeper into the jungle.

\--

He liked the way she held on tighter to him as he climbed the highest tree in the jungle. She didn't want to sleep and it was obvious she had never been here before. He needed to show her what he loved the most about his home, and it was only visible at night.

Chi-Chi's screams had stopped once they got halfway there. He was worried that she had fallen asleep again, but he felt her little arms and legs tighten around him to let him know she was wide awake.

"Almost there, Chi-Chi! Don't you worry!"

Kakarot hoped that what she would soon see would keep her here. It was much better than being out in the jungle all by herself. She even told him himself that she was afraid of the dark. Why would he leave her alone like that? After a couple more climbs, they emerged from the top of the largest tree. Kakarot was beaming as he watched the leaves part to reveal the dark blue sky. It was lit up with a trillion bright white stars.

He felt Chi-Chi climb off his back to sit on the branch he was crouched on. He was studying her face and pumped a fist in succession when her eyes and mouth opened wide. Kakarot figured she had never been this close to the stars before, seeing as she couldn't climb as high as he can. Whenever her eyes blinked, those long eyelashes moved along with them.

She was releasing more of those pretty sounds until she made eye contact with him. She was so much like him. Why did his dad show so much hatred towards her? And Zaire? Whatever human they had encountered before, she was entirely different. There was no evil bone in her body, as far as Kakarot could tell. He reached a hand up to hold the side of her face. He could feel it getting warm.

"Are you a bad person, Chi-Chi?"

That look she was giving him was the only answer he needed. She was resting her hand against the one that was supporting her. Her lips moved and the sounds came out quietly. There was one word that stuck with him.

"Beautiful..." he felt a strange feeling in his stomach when she laughed. He had never experienced this before. Was he going to throw up? He held onto his stomach and fell backwards. Kakarot knew Chi-Chi was afraid by the way she screamed but then she wasn't. He stopped himself by falling all the way down by using his tail to hold onto the branch.

He did a half way sit up so he was able to look at the face staring down at him. She was breathing out in relief and holding her hand to her chest. For the first time since meeting her he really wished she wasn't giving him those eyes. It was making him feel funny and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. She was mouthing something to him before she pointed at his tail that was still curled around the branch.

She's freakin' scratching it!

Pulling it was a whole other story, but scratching it!? Scratching it!? He could feel his eyes rolling into the back of his head until only his whites were showing. Chi-Chi noticed it and immediately stopped. Somewhat finding his strength again, Kakarot used his core strength to bring him back onto the branch. Her face was as red as the berries he ate in the morning. He could see it despite her covering her face with both hands. She must have noticed something else.

"Well, what do you expect!? Looking at me like that, scratching me!" At least she was giggling behind her hand-mask. It made him smile through his own embarrassment. "Can I show you my other favorite place?"

Once her face returned to a normal color, she removed the circular item from her wrist. He frowned when he noticed the skin still revealed where Bardock had grabbed her. She put her long hair up so her neck was fully revealed. Kakarot looked at the sweat that glistened on it. This climate was rough on those not use to it.

"Here," he smiled and offered her his hand. Hers fit into his like a glove. "My other favorite place will cool you down quick."

\--

When Chi-Chi awoke, she felt the hot breath of the person holding her breathing into the nape of her neck. Kakarot's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist and he was snoring loudly. The night sky had been replaced by morning, and the vibrant colors of the jungle were aplenty. After the tree incident, he had brought her to the river. They both needed a cool down.

Being the respectful lady she was, Chi-Chi got in fully clothed except for her boots. She actually thought the humidity of the jungle would dry her through the night, but her clothes were still sticking to her. She needed to get her backpack as soon as possible and change before her own scent would make her sick. The monkey man behind her smelled surprisingly decent, like fresh rain despite no precipitation reported.

She used all her strength to pry his arms off her. Once free, she sat up and looked down at him. He certainly was good looking and sweet, even though he had no sense of personal space. Knowing that there were more of his kind out here, she knew he wasn't some feral child adopted by apes. He looked as every bit human as her save the bushy tail. So, what exactly was he?

Chi-Chi sighed and scratched his chin gently with one finger nail. He stirred and smiled, then kept snoring. She stood up and stretched her limbs out, and winced when she moved her shoulders up. The jaguar's marks still ached and she hadn't noticed until now that the straps of her yellow tank top had her dried blood on them.

The jaguar.

She felt her heart drop. The old man and her father had to be worried sick about her by now. She said she would return within hours, and it had been close to a day gone. Kakarot didn't seem to be holding her against her will. She needed to find a way to tell him she needed to be brought back to the entrance of the jungle. It's not like his father was a big fan of her, anyway. Maybe Bardock could give her a swift kick to the butt and send her on out of here.

Chi-Chi knelt by the river and splashed water onto her face. A teeny tiny eensy weensy part of her didn't want to leave just yet. Had she gone crazy or actually enjoyed jungle boy's company, she wasn't sure. Probably a little bit of both.

Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked over slowly, hoping it wasn't another deadly wildcat. Sitting on a large boulder a few feet away from her was yet another monkey man. His legs were a lot shorter than Kakarot's and he had them stretched out in front of him. His palms were pressed down onto the rock and his chest was pushed outward. He had hair like a black flame. His eyebrows were scrunched together like he was already pissed off this early in the morning. His tail was like Bardock's, wrapped around his waist.

If he had noticed her, he didn't seem to care. His eyes were scanning the water. When Kakarot released a loud yawn followed by an arm stretch, Chi-Chi noticed the other male's vein in his forehead pulsated. There was some noises coming from Kakarot and somewhere in between the monkey noises she swore she heard a name.

Vegeta.

When Vegeta didn't respond to Kakarot, jungle boy walked over to him on his knuckles and knocked on his head. Vegeta bit his hand and shoved Kakarot away from him. After waving around his momentarily injured hand, Kakarot motioned for Chi-Chi to join his side.

\--

"Come on, Vegeta! Don't be a jerk! Say hi! I told her you were my best friend!"

Kakarot wasn't sure what he loved more: annoying Vegeta first thing in the morning or watching the way he twitched when he called him 'best friend'. For awhile, he thought Vegeta was his brother but he quickly shot that down. Raditz told him he was a prince, but a prince of what? The jungle? The apes? He never acknowledged them. The only person he had ever seen Vegeta be somewhat nice to was Gine.

Chi-Chi still hadn't removed herself from the edge of the river. Vegeta's grumpy mug was probably scaring her. "Can you at least smile for once in your life or something? Ever since I brought her here, everyone's been so mean!"

"I know this is hard for you because you have a pea sized brain," Vegeta finally looked away from the water to glare at Kakarot. "But just think for a damn moment about what you did. Your father's been bitching for years about doing everything possible to not expose ourselves and then you bring a little harpy to his sanctuary."

"Harpy?" Kakarot blinked. "But I thought she was a human..."

Vegeta ground his teeth together. How badly he wished he could blast Kakarot's ass into the next dimension. All this built up anger was going to be released on someone one day. He chanced a look at the female by the river. She was purposely avoiding eye contact with him. "Is this about mating, Kakarot? You want to be like dear old Mom and Dad?"

Kakarot's dopey expression still hadn't changed. He was still stuck on the whole 'harpy' thing. He scratched his head and shrugged. "I saved her from the beast. She was all by herself and afraid so I brought her here." That's all that it was. The fact that his body and his heart did all sort of funny things when they are together didn't mean a thing. Right?

Vegeta scoffed. He tossed a pebble into the river and watched it skip all the way to the other side. "Sure, Kakarot. I saw you fondling her last night like you were searching for the last morsel of alligator meat."

The messy haired male's face burned. "Did not!"

"Did too."

"DID NOT!"

Chi-Chi looked over when there was a sudden splash. She began to sweat. The two males were rolling around in the river choking each other.

\--

It had been five days since she disappeared.

Gohan drank a glass of water with a shaky hand. It took him awhile but he had come across the body of the jaguar but no Chi-Chi. Her sword that she brought with her to slay the beast was haphazardly placed in the tall wild grass. She wasn't killed. She was taken. Being as old as he was, he couldn't travel that deep into the jungle to find her. He needed help. He took one more sip before placing the glass down on his coffee table.

He dialed the number of the one man who would go through hell and high water to find her. He played with the twisty coil as he waited for the king to pick up, making an even bigger tangled mess.

"Hi!" Gohan cleared his throat as soon as he heard the large man greet himself. "Ox, it's Gohan. It's about Chi-Chi...no, it wasn't the jaguar. Something much more dangerous. Someone. You might want to bring an army... She didn't believe me when I said she needed reinforcements. Well, to be honest, I'd do it as soon as possible. Yes. See you soon."


	3. These Emotions I Never Knew

"Uh, do you mind?"

The fourth monkey man she met has extremely long hair, so much so that it covered his bare bottom unlike the others. He had Bardock's face, allowing Chi-Chi to guess that this one was Kakarot's brother. He was standing on the opposite side of the cave and it was a good thing she had noticed him before taking her top off. When he refused to turn around, Chi-Chi did a swirling motion with her finger.

"Turn aroooouuuund."

There was still no movement from him. Chi-Chi growled under her breath and gathered her belongings. She was prepared to find another spot to change her clothes, but Gine had stopped her. Kakarot's mom held up a finger as if to tell her to wait a minute. The human stifled her laughter as the brother was soon carried out by his ear.

Chi-Chi waited a good five minutes and scanned to the left and right of her at the cave's entrance to be sure the coast was clear. She slipped off her tank top and pulled down her shorts, both of which were getting disgustingly crunchy. She switched out of her undergarments a lot quicker than she did when she was in the privacy of her bedroom. It seemed like Gine was doing a good job of keeping the males away from her. She released a sigh before securing an orange skirt around her waist and a white tank top over her chest. Granted the outfit was a little classy for being out in the jungle, but she didn't think she'd end up being here this long.

Two nights had gone by.

Her father was probably simultaneously having a heart attack and putting together a search party at this very moment.

The princess smiled sadly as she bent down to put her dirty clothes inside two doubled up plastic bags and tightened it for good measure. As she placed the bag inside her backpack, she saw the photo of her as a baby sitting on her mother's lap with Ox standing proudly behind them. She removed and rubbed her father's face with her thumb. Her mother had passed a few months after this picture was taken and she couldn't remember anything about her, but she knew her dad loved the two of them more than anything in the entire world.

She gave the picture a tight squeeze before placing it safely inside her backpack. The reason she brought it with her along with other personal documents were just in case the jaguar mauled her to death. That beast clearly wasn't what was on top of the food chain in this jungle.

Chi-Chi emerged from the cave with her backpack attached to her, every part of her determined to make it back home today. It was going to be difficult to say goodbye to Kakarot, especially with the way he was looking at her right now. He had the biggest grin on his face. He was down below the rocks in the nests, just finishing up a game of 'guess-which-hand-the-rock-is-in' with some of the baby apes. She couldn't help but return the smile watching him crawl up to her. She began laughing when he spun her around with his hands on her waist.

Kakarot let go of her to rub the thin material of her skirt. The happy sounding noises he was making let her know he liked it. Chi-Chi blushed and placed a hand on his face. She used her other to hold his hand, and hoped that somehow this contact would help him understand. "Kakarot, I am so thankful to have met you and the fact you saved my life. You are unlike any guy I've ever met. But... I need to go home."

"Home?" Kakarot mocked her. He was putting the full weight of his head into her hand and looking at her like she was the best fruit on the tree he finished climbing. His hand was squeezing hers tightly back.

"Y-yes," Chi-Chi stuttered. He looked like a love sick puppy that was at her beck and call, which made her wonder what she looked like to him at this moment with her burning face and trembling body. "Home. I need to go home."

Would you like to come home with me?

Chi-Chi gasped at her own thought and released her hands from Kakarot. She was still as pink as ever as she pointed at the trees and used her arms to mimic vine swinging. "Can you take me back?" she used a thumb to point back at her backpack. "I'm ready."

Before she could blink, Kakarot was behind her removing her backpack. He dropped it harshly onto the rocks which caused her to wince remembering the framed photo was in there.

"Hey, Kakarot, what did I tell you about personal space?"

He was ignoring her and doing his best to figure out how to use the zipper. Once the bag opened up, he was flipping through the various items as if were trying to find something that he liked. He finally pulled out a green book with a dancing couple on the cover that Chi-Chi had nearly forgotten was in there. She watched as Kakarot traced the figures on the cover and then tilted his head curiously while looking at her for answers.

"Oh! They're dancing!" Chi-Chi smiled as sweetly as she could while Kakarot stood up from his crouched position. She placed one hand on the shoulder of her imaginary partner and then outstretched her other to hold his imaginary friend. She started swaying from side to side, looking the woman on the cover of the romance novel she read while on the drive to Mount Paozu. "See? Now I'm dancing!"

Kakarot's eyes lit up once more as he dropped to book so his hands could be free, but not before taking one last glance at the man on the cover. He surprised her by placing his hand on the small of her back and used his other to grab hers that was outstretched. The way he swayed and jumped around with her wasn't as calm as the ballroom dancing was for the couple in the book, but it still made Chi-Chi's heart swell with emotions like when she finished the story. Despite her legs feeling weak, the rest of her calm and centered. Something about him made her feel warm and cozy, like cuddling in her bed during a cold night.

The sound of apes clapping their hands in excitement as the sight filled her ears, and the two looked to their left to see the infants trying to copy their movements. They both laughed their own unique laugh, a universal language that couldn't be mistaken for anything else but pure joy.

Bardock shook his head at the sight of his son moving in such proximity to the human. They were so into each other that they didn't notice there were two pairs of eyes observing them. The father ran a hand through his messy hair. "This won't end well for him."

Gine rolled her eyes at her mate's negativity. That's all he ever was since the day Kakarot brought her here. Despite her husband's complaints, she sighed lovingly while looking at her son dance. "You seem to have forgotten what it's like to fall in love."

Bardock scoffed. His eyes had switched from the couple to the profile of Gine. "Don't be an idiot. That's not love."

The mother glanced in his direction after feeling his gaze on her. She placed a finger under his chin and scratched the rough skin gently. "You really have the nerve to judge your son on who he wants. I recall people being mad at you for wanting a mate weaker than you. Now you're the happiest man in the world. Just look at that smile you wear so nicely!"

The former warrior was fighting the corner of his lips from twitching upward. "Dammit!" he cursed when Gine laughed after he failed briefly to contain it. "Have I ever told you you're a pain in the ass?" He pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. They stayed connected to one another as they sat on the rocks to watch the teenagers.

Gine's tail was rubbing against her own back while she tapped her knuckles against the rock's surface. "I decided that I'm going to tell Kakarot about Planet Vegeta today. He really thinks he's a human."

Bardock looked down at her. "There's really no point when there's nothing left."

"I know, I know. But it's better for him to know your truth too instead of thinking you're just an asshole who hates outsiders."

"That's who I really am, though?"

He chuckled when Gine punched his shoulder lightly. The parents sat in silence for a little while longer to watch Chi-Chi interacting with the apes in their nests. They were investigating her hair for any snacks while the infants were fighting for a cuddle space in her lap. Kakarot had finally notice Bardock and Gine were watching and he gave them a wave. His mother was the only one who waved back while Bardock narrowed his eyes.

"I think I'm going to give her the test."

Gine was still waving at her son as she spoke through clenched teeth. "What test?"

The silver back who had been observing the human as well had stopped moving once he approached the mates. Instead of answering his wife, Bardock and Zaire reluctantly nodded at each other. They had silently forgiven each other.

"The human," the leader of the ape troop grunted. "Friend or foe?"

Bardock took one last glance at the female in question. She was allowing an infant to kiss and nuzzle her forehead while she laughed. Kakarot was staring at her like he did those stars every night. "I'll find out for you tonight."  
\--

Kakarot was still holding onto the picture frame as he made his way to the cave. His mother had asked to speak to him in private, and about what the conversation would be didn't really matter. He had found the image of Chi-Chi with her father and mother. She had pointed at the man and said, 'Bardock' and it gave him all he needed to know. She had a father out there who wanted her home. Someone wanted her and they were going to come for her or she would leave for them.

Chi-Chi didn't want to come back home with him that first day they met. She wanted to get back to her own home before it was too dark. He hung his head, feeling a different kind of emotion this time. It hurt and made him feel empty and cold.

"There you are, Kakarot!" Gine gathered her youngest into a tight hug but pulled him away when he wasn't returning it. His hands were occupied with something. "What's wrong, honey? What are you holding?"

Kakarot slowly flipped the frame over so she could see the image of the humans on it. There was a small baby, a woman who looked like an older version of Chi-Chi, and a large man. He was tapped the large man with his index finger. "That's Chi-Chi's dad. She misses him. She has a home. I was wrong..."

Gine frowned and gently removed the picture from him. She leaned it against the wall of the cave and motioned for her son to join her on the ground. When he did, she squeezed his broad shoulder. "Oh sweetheart I'm so sorry... You know humans are a lot like us when it comes to family. I really do like her, and I know you do too, but she has a place of her own. She'll have to leave before they come looking for her."

The son knew she was right, but didn't want to accept the fact that he'd be losing her so soon. He decided to drag the conversation in another direction. "There you go saying we're like humans again. Are you sure-"

Gine laughed and pushed him a little. "Yes son, I'm sure you aren't human and that's what I was going to talk to you about. We are a species called Saiyans, from a planet different from this one."

Kakarot turned his entire body towards her as his mother revealed their history. Everything about it. She explained about her childhood on Planet Vegeta (which now made sense that everyone called Vegeta the prince), to the day this evil guy Frieza took over and everything changed, to her meeting and falling in love with his dad, to the births of the brothers, and finally how Bardock managed to save the remaining Saiyans from the explosion of the planet that was originally their home. His dad never wanted them interacting with anyone but the apes or revealing their 'true power' (whatever that was) in fear that Frieza would find them one day. It made a little bit of sense, but Kakarot still scratched his head at the end of it all.

"So Dad doesn't want Chi-Chi around because he's afraid she'll tell that Frieza guy about us?"

"Ehhh," Gine shrugged. "In a way, I guess. He doesn't want her to expose us to others. If we need to defend ourselves somehow if the situation called for that, our power will definitely reveal where we are hidden. Your father risked a lot to save our lives and keep us alive. He's been a bit of a jerk lately because he doesn't want anything to happen to you, the family, or the troop who allowed us to stay with them. Understand?"

Kakarot exhaled deeply and nodded. He really did understand. Knowing that Chi-Chi had a home now, it should make it easier to let her go. But it didn't. "Chi-Chi won't tell anyone. I know she wouldn't."

The mother rubbed her son's face affectionately. He was so love-struck and didn't even know it. She knew the words that he needed to hear. "There is one thing that I know is for certain. Chi-Chi needs to return home," she tightened her grip when he tried to look away. "Ah, ah, ah! Let me finish. She needs to return home to either stay there, or to be able to let her dad know so she can stay here with you. It's better that way instead of him coming here."

Kakarot's trademark grin plastered over his face for the first time that month. He squeezed his mother tightly and held her by the shoulders. "This is great! Chi-Chi will get to stay with us and..." his voice became quiet and he frowned, realizing something that made his stomach churn. "Wait. What if she doesn't want to stay?"

"Well," Gine smiled sadly. She always had to be the one to have those tough conversations. "That will be her decision. You'll have to find a way to tell her how you feel."

"How I feel?" Kakarot blinked. He released his mother and held onto his hard stomach. "She makes me feel sick to the gut!"

Gine sweatdropped. "Maybe you shouldn't tell her that..."

"She makes me feel sick to the gut," Kakarot continued and pointed at the various body parts that the princess affected. "When she looks at me I feel like my heart is going to die! She makes my skin crawl when she talks to me all close and she makes me sweat too! She scratched my tail the other day and I almost fainted! When she touches my hand I just...what?"

His mother was holding her little clasped hands to her mouth and her eyes were larger than usual. "Oh my gosh I was right! You are in love!" she gasped and then grabbed her son's shoulders a little too tightly. "I didn't know it was this serious! You need to tell her how you feel! Right now!"

"But...we don't speak the same language!" The poor jungle boy's mouth ruins what his heart wants to say, but his mother quickly assured him with a little pumping of her fist in the air.

"We'll just have to find a way to show it!"  
\--

Self consciously, Chi-Chi wet her face with the river's water. For some reason, Kakarot had Raditz and Vegeta escort her instead of himself. He had to talk to his mom about something, at least that's what she put together. Still, why not send one of the apes? Why send hairjob and flame head? The sight of an alligator opening its mouth in the distance answered her question.

She chuckled nervously and backed away from the water like a crab. She bumped into the legs of Raditz and bent her head back to look up at him. "I think after seeing that," she pointed at the alligator. "I'm ready to go."

The one named Vegeta was licking his lips like he was eyeing dinner but he didn't move from his spot on the mud. Chi-Chi sighed knowing these two weren't going to help her up. Once she was standing she rubbed her hands together until the mud fell off. Her skirt from her knees on below were dirtied up as well, but she didn't feel like jumping into the river to clean herself off.

"Well," she motioned towards the direction of the cave. Another nighttime had approached and she still wasn't home. Kakarot had kept her occupied all day that she didn't even realize how late it had become. This little vacation was going to end badly for her. "I think it's time to hit the old dusty-"

Chi-Chi had stopped herself when she noticed a little infant had crawled up to the river yards away from where they stood. She had never seen a young ape so far from its mother before. She forced herself to get a better look with squinted eyes. It was either her impeccable eyesight or the stars were powerful that night, but she saw the black paw of a beast poking out from a rock.

"Oh, no!" Chi-Chi against her better judgment began pounding on Raditz's chest. "That panther is going to kill that poor little baby! Do something!"

Raditz merely flicked her fist away from him and shrugged his shoulders. In disbelief, she turned to Vegeta who was too occupied eyeing the alligator still out in the river.

"Seriously!? I thought they were your family!" she threw her hands up in the air and then placed them over her mouth so she could scream. "RUN, LITTLE MONKEY, RUN!"

When the infant continued to drink, Raditz watched her run towards the small animal. He released a brief snort. "Look at that, she's actually going to save him. Maybe she is one of the good ones," he glanced at the prince and rolled his eyes. "You beat my ass for one earlier. Your addiction is going to make them go extinct."

"Better them than us," Vegeta commented but finally looked at the woman. She was unknowingly wrestling with an already dead panther. "Huh. At least the clown didn't pick a coward. Surprising for someone so soft and a complete imbecile."

Raditz, feeling second-hand pride for his brother, placed his hands on his hips and laughed. There was only a slight twinge of jealousy over the fact that Kakarot had finally found someone to mate with. There wasn't even an option when it came to women of their own kind. There was only Fasha, who was older than his mother. That definitely wasn't going to happen. "Maybe I'll kidnap a woman of my own one day."

"Ha," Vegeta snorted cruelly. "One look at your ugly mug and she'll head for the hills."

Raditz was about to deck the prince in the face and the prince was ready to block it to go for the jugular, but the sound of Chi-Chi's victory had distracted them. She was holding the panther's body high above her head, completely oblivious to the fact its fur was full of dried blood. She shook it like she got a championship belt in wrestling.

She was shouting into the stars about her victory but was startled when Bardock, who had initially been controlling the panther's paw and threw it at her when she came charging towards it, emerged from the bushes. The little monkey, Congo, snickered deviously as he ran away. He was in on the plan.

"You see that!?" Bardock called out to the other Saiyans. Chi-Chi had dropped the panther and screamed. "Kakarot's girl didn't even hesitate!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yeah, let's see what she can do with a real one, then maybe I'll be impressed-" he bit his tongue as Chi-Chi's fist connected with Bardock's jaw, causing him to stumble backwards. "Alright. I'm impressed."

As the prince laughed, Chi-Chi covered her mouth with her hands with her eyes closed and lowered herself to Bardock's level. He had completely startled her. "Oh my gosh I am so so so sorry...please don't kill me!" She opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see him ready to go in for the kill. To her surprise, he was smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter will be posted for GoChi day tomorrow! Not sure what time, but it will be there!


	4. Take My Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Finished in time before GoChi day has ended!

Chi-Chi's eyes widened at the sight of Bardock offering her one of the sweet mangoes that he had scavenged. When she took it, he gave her a simple nod of the head and nothing else before turning his back on her. She had to look around to see if anyone else was eating them. Some of the ape mothers were, as well as their babies. Whew. It wasn't poisoned. She couldn't help but smile when the first bite had delighted her senses.

"Chi-Chi!"

With her mouth full of mango, Chi-Chi replied with a muffled, "Hi Kakarot!" She couldn't see him, but could recognize that distinct voice so easily by now. When she looked over her shoulder, she was surprised to see him standing up with a hand assembled bouquet of wild flowers he must have picked himself. She swallowed her fruit and held her face. She could feel it getting warm. "Are those for me!?"

He was sticking the flowers straight out towards her and nodding his head. Chi-Chi jumped to her feet and giggled as she held them against her chest. She inhaled the bouquet's scent deeply, and released a satisfied sigh. Her nostrils were filled with a variety of beautiful scents. "Thank you, Kakarot!" she was trying to hide her flushed face behind the flowers. "I can't believe you did this!"

She really couldn't. She didn't think the monkey men knew anything about romancing.

Kakarot began pacing back and forth, trying to remember exactly what his mom had taught him. He was suppose to do something after giving her the flowers, but what!? He began scratching his head like crazy as if he were trying to find bugs. The infants had ate them all that morning. What was it, what was it, what was it...

"Are you o-" his arms had suddenly wrapped around her waist tightly as he pulled her in close. The flowers were squashed between their chests and Chi-Chi's eyebrows had almost risen to her hairline. "-kay?"

Kakarot removed one hand to toss the flowers to the ground and then put some distance between them. He held onto both of her clammy hands. "Chi-Chi. Stay with Kakarot."

"Oh Kakarot," Chi-Chi frowned deeply and had to look away from his large, pleading eyes. How'd she know this was what he was going to ask? Most of her wanted to, but that small part that didn't couldn't be ignored. "I can't... my dad, Fire Mountain. I can't just give up everything." She was hoping that he was understanding her.

He was. He didn't let go of her hands even though he felt a strange hurting feeling inside his chest like something was breaking. They had just started to crack through the surface of themselves but he had never known anyone to make him this happy before. It had to mean something. Even if they didn't end up like his parents, he didn't want to lose her as a friend.

She was waiting for a response. He let go of her hands and held up his palm to let her know he needed a few minutes. He left her standing there with the dirtied bouquet as he hobbled his way to the cave, back in his ape stance. His mother was peeking her head through the cave. She was watching them the entire time. She clapped her hands as he entered.

"What did she say!?" Gine's eyes were crinkled from her large smile but they quickly switched to being full of concern when her son had his head hung "Kakarot? What happened?"

Bardock was eyeing them from the opposite corner as he was removing the skin from the panther Chi-Chi thought she killed last night. He was discreetly cutting an outfit for Chi-Chi to wear.

"She wants to go home."

"Oh," Gine couldn't hide her disappointment. She really thought the flowers would do the trick. "I'm so sorry K-"

"I'm going with her."

"WHAT!?" His parents shouted in unison. Bardock had joined Gine's side instantly. They both had a sudden change in their previous demeanor. His mother's eyes were widened more than what they usually were and her hands had completely dropped to her sides. Bardock's lips had curled back to reveal his fangs as he threw his large hands up in the air.

"Did you hit your head when gathering those flowers!?" Bardock reached his upward hand over to smack the side of Kakarot's aforementioned body part. "You've said a lot of bullshit but this tops them all!"

Kakarot rubbed his sore spot and pouted like he was four years old all over again. "I can't force her to stay!" the teen moved his hand to stroke the nape of his neck. "All my life I thought this was all that was out there. This world is so much bigger than the troop, than the jungle. There's so many different foods I want to eat! Different people just as nice as Chi-Chi! I want to see more. Is that so bad?"

When his parents didn't answer, Kakarot sighed and stepped in between his parents. He placed a loving hand on both of their shoulders and continued. He glanced at his father first. "Dad, I know you're worried about that Frieza guy. I'll be smart. There's no way I'd ever let you guys get hurt," he looked at Gine. "Mom, you're the one that told me these feelings are special. I don't want them to go away."

Bardock's jaw was clenched but he didn't remove his son's hand. Kakarot was the least temperamental of the Saiyans, even less than Gine. Losing control wouldn't be something hard for him. But this was his son, dammit. He wouldn't be able to protect him anymore. He cleared his throat. For once he didn't want to be the one to make a serious decision. "Gine?"

His mate's lips were quivering. She had moved her watery eyes away from an ant on the ground to her son's face and forced a small, sad smile. "I just want you to be happy, Kakarot. That's all I ever wanted. Whatever you want to do, you'll always be in my heart."

Kakarot wrapped his muscular arms around both of their necks and pulled them into a group hug. "I'll be back one day. I promise. Let me go tell Chi-Chi."

He left his parents alone in their home as he made his way back to the female he had left alone. She was blinking those long eyelashes and glancing sideways at him. He took her hands like he did earlier. "Kakarot stays with Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi's home."

She lifted her chin as her smile had grown slowly. She would have a lot of explaining to do on Fire Mountain, but Kakarot was worth it. Her lips parted. "Yes. Kakarot can go home with Chi-Chi."

\--

Kakarot was hugging each member of the ape troop goodbye and received a respectful nod from Zaire. Chi-Chi was waiting for him at the end of the aisle everyone had created. He had finally reached his family. He gave his older brother a hug, who immediately raised his hands up high and turned crimson.

"Kakarot!" he spoke through clenched teeth. "Stop that!"

The younger brother laughed as he let him go. He struck out his hand for a handshake instead, which Raditz did accept. "Promise me you won't cry, alright? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Shut up," Raditz placed his hand on top of the shorter Saiyan and shook his head roughly. "You just stay alive, little brother. For Mom's sake."

Kakarot gave Raditz a thumb up before moving onto Vegeta. The prince had his arms crossed over his chest and stuck his nose up in the air. "Aw, c'mon, Vegeta! I thought you of all people would've enjoyed a hug."

"You're an idiot!" Vegeta spat down at his bare feet but had uncrossed his arms. He smirked when he spoke again. "It's too bad any spawns you'll bring back will have that ugly face of yours."

The one who was considered a clown in the prince's eyes waved him off, still unsure of what he was talking about. He stopped in front of his mother who was crying so hard that mucus was running down her nose. Kakarot let her wipe it on his shoulder as he embraced her tightly. "Don't be so sad, Mom! I told you I'll be back soon!" he patted her back. "I promise! You know I don't break those!"

He really didn't. Gine pulled herself back and sniffed. "I know, honey. It's just... I'm going to miss you so much." She remembered perfectly clearly the day she pulled her little baby out of the pod and the way he smiled when they touched.

"I know. It must be hard losing your favorite son."

"HEY!"

Kakarot stuck his tongue out at the angry Raditz, but at least it made his mom smile. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb before coming to the last person. His dad's shoulders were pressed back and his chest was up, his pride refusing to let him embarrass himself in front of the others by showing any other emotion. He shook Kakarot's hand firmly.

"Good luck, son. Be cautious no matter what."

Kakarot waggled his eyebrows. Before Bardock could do anything about it, the handshake had been turned into an embrace. Bardock momentarily squeezed him back before pushing away. He ran a hand through his hair and gestured towards the human who had been patient. "Get out of here. She's waiting for you."

She sure was. Chi-Chi was holding onto the straps of her backpack tightly and bounced on the tip of her toes as Kakarot picked her up bridal shower. Over his wide shoulder she waved to them all and hoped that they knew how grateful she was for their hospitality. "Thank you all so much! I'll never forget you!"

Bardock, Gine, and Raditz stood together as they watched their son disappear through the vines of the trees. Raditz glanced at his father who just released a sigh. "You sure we should let him go?"

Bardock shrugged his shoulders. He trusted Kakarot more than anyone, even himself. "He's already gone."

\--

Chi-Chi couldn't help but notice that had gone a different direction than the way she had entered. They were coming up on the backside of Gohan's house instead of the front, but she wasn't complaining. She was just happy they had made it. Once Goku had landed on his feet, the princess jumped out of his arms. She was brushing herself off and ready to explain her game plain when a scream had interrupted them.

"AH!" the old man was on his bottom. The firewood he was carrying was scattered all around him. "IT'S THE MONKEY MAN! RUN CHI-CHI!"

Kakarot was scratching his head while Chi-Chi walked slowly up to him. She raised her hands in front of her and talked to him like he belonged in the insane asylum. "Shh, shh. It's okay, Gohan. I'm fine. Really," she smiled and gestured up and down. There wasn't a scratch on her body. She was just really, really dirty and could use a much needed hot shower. "He's harmless."

Gohan searched her up and down from his spot on the ground. His eyes pingponged between her and the monkey man. "Are-are you sure? I-I thought he kidnapped you! I saw the jaguar but not you!"

Chi-Chi sweatdropped. He sort of did kidnap her, but Gohan didn't need to know that. She wasn't even sure if Kakarot knew that he did that, either. "He saved my life, actually. The jaguar was going to kill me if he didn't step in in time. He was taking care of me while I was away..." Chi-Chi looked over her shoulder adoringly at the man who was scratching under his armpit now. "He wants to be like us. He offered to come home with me."

Gohan blinked. The old man was having a hard time believing that the beast he would hear screaming out in the jungle in the night was willing to be a human now. "Oh, Chi-Chi... Are you sure that's what he wants? He doesn't speak the same language.."

"He can't speak it but he understands me and I understand him," Chi-Chi urged. "I just wanted a place to rest for the night before heading home. I wouldn't have brought him here if he were trouble. Please believe me." She offered him her hands to get him back on his feet. When he was, he licked his lips nervously a couple times before sighing loudly.

"O-Okay, Chi-Chi..." he hadn't known the princess very long, but knew she had a good heart from the start. He was going to say more but there was a loud grumbling sound coming from the monkey man. He was rubbing his stomach with a pained expression. "Uh, haha, if you guys are hungry I have some dinner leftover on the table still... Does he-does he like chicken and rice?"

Chi-Chi shrugged. He absolutely loved the rice that she had packed in her backpack, but wasn't too sure about chicken. She looked over her shoulder at him again to see him sniffing the scent of the poultry escaping through Gohan's open window. He started cheering loudly and followed the scent, and even crawled through the window to find it.

"Well," Chi-Chi laughed. "I guess he does!"

The humans had joined Kakarot in Gohan's kitchen after coming through the front door. Chi-Chi realized she was going to have to teach him how to go through doors among many other things. While she respectfully picked up her food with chopsticks, Kakarot was wolfing down the food by the plateful. Each time he licked up a plate, he piled on more and more from the main bowl until there was nothing left. He hadn't even sat down in the chair. He burped loudly and fell backwards onto the floor while rubbing his now full belly.

"That boy can eat!" Gohan's eyes were wide. "A bowl that big lasts me at least four days, two meals per each day!"

"Yeah," Chi-Chi spoke once she swallowed. She had barely started her dinner. "That's Kakarot alright. He's lucky I know how to cook."

"Oh?" Gohan sat straight up in his chair as he drank some water from his glass. Kakarot was snoring, deep in his food coma. "Are you planning on bringing him to the castle with you?"

Chi-Chi nodded, knowing her face was growing pink due to the warmth she was feeling. "Mmhm. Call me crazy but I think... I think I might love him!"

Gohan spit up some of water and regretted taking a second sip. He wiped his chin with the long sleeve of his orange jacket. "Love? My, that's serious! I assume you told your father?"

"Uh...no. I was going to tell him once I got to Fire Mountain."

"Hm? You mean you didn't seem on your way here? He left here a little over a day ago."

Chi-Chi scrunched her eyebrows together. What was her father doing here? Was he looking for her? "I have no idea what you're talking... Kakarot and I came from a different way than what you showed me last time..."

Gohan sucked in air through his teeth and then followed it up with a gulp. "Oh dear...this isn't good..."

As if on cue, that all too familiar scent hit Chi-Chi's nose like a brick. Fire. Kakarot smelt it too. It was enough to bring him out of his coma. He jumped up to his feet and the three all exchanged glances. Gohan and Chi-Chi ran to the outside through the front door while Kakarot went through the window. They had joined up to look on in horror as a fire had broke out deep into the jungle.

\--

"GO!"

Zaire looked over his shoulder one last time at Bardock who was gesturing wildly for him to keep moving. The Saiyan yet again was proving himself an ally by protecting the apes against predators, and the predators on two legs were the most dangerous ones. He knew they should have found somewhere new once that woman came around. He grunted loudly for the females and infants to continue following him to safer grounds.

All sorts of animals were going in the same direction as the apes as they escaped the wild fire beginning to grow. This wasn't an act of Mother Nature since there was no lightening. Someone had done this, and Bardock was leading the Saiyans to where he was sensing them. He wasn't worried about the flames, as they could extinguish them easily. All he could think about was Kakarot who had left a mere five hours ago. Was this something to do with him?

As the Saiyans came to the edge of their side of the river, the side always considered safe, they could see a group of men charging through the water towards them. By the looks of their weapons, it was clear they were the ones who started the fire. The leader was in the front, wearing a golden helmet with sharp horns. He was the largest human Bardock had ever seen.

Gine shook Bardock's shoulder harshly. "That's Chi-Chi's father! He was in that picture she had, I'm sure of it!"

"Shit..." Of course it was the girl's father. The kids must have missed him.

"Want me to kill them?" Vegeta snorted as he gestured towards the one whose leg was being chomped on by the alligator he didn't kill the other night. "Not like it'll take much."

"No!" Bardock warned him and held a hand up. Fasha and Tora seemed to have the same idea until they lowered their palms. "Just wait. I'll try to get them to understand..."

\--

Ox King had paused in the middle of the river as the scared faced monkey man met him halfway. The others were standing in a straight line behind him, just as ready to attack as his men were. "My daughter!" Ox's eyes narrowed from behind the helmet that covered his eyes. "Where is she?"

The monkey man began grunting and gesturing towards the tree tops behind Ox. What was he trying to say, that she was stuck up there? His massive hands held on tightly to his sharp sword despite having fists. "Bring her to me!"

The scarred leader made a noise that sounded like a clearing of his throat as he tried again. "Chi-Chi. Home. Kakarot."

The king of Fire Mountain clenched his teeth together tightly as he took a step forward. He pointed the tip of sword as the male's throat. "You said her name so you've met her! I'll ask you one more time before I move this another inch. Where. Is. My. Daughter!" Something about the lack of fear in the scarred one's eyes made Ox uneasy, but he wasn't about to show it. Not in front of his men.

The leader of the monkey people raised his right fist towards his ear and forcefully knocked Ox out of the way. His men began firing their weapons, unaware of what the leader had just done. Ox's eyes were wide as he watched the leader snap the neck of the alligator that was about to take a bite out of him. The sounds of the bullets firing were louder than the splash of the carcass that landed beside the fallen king.

The monkey man had just saved his life.

"H-HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Ox called out, hoping that none of their people were hurt.

\--

Luckily for the Saiyans, nobody but them noticed Vegeta had blasted a hole through one of the humans. Bardock snarled at him after Ox had shouted something that made the guns stop. "YOU HOTHEADED LITTLE SHIT! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and kicked the body away from him. "They were trying to kill us, weren't they? Wasn't that the intent of those pathetic little pea shooters?"

Bardock ran a hand down his face. The prince knew the humans stood no chance against them and fire a ki blast anyway. They were literally in hot water with blood on their hands and a possible signal to Frieza. He looked at him darkly as Ox was rising to his feet. "You're going to pay for that."

"Ooh I'm so scared."

The father flashed his fangs but felt a wet hand on his shoulder before he could do anything. He whipped around to find Ox bowing to him, causing a gasp from the rest of the human army. Bardock raised his eyebrows. Chi-Chi's father was about to say something to him, but the sound of another rough splash hitting the river captured their attention.

"DAD!" Kakarot shouted as he ran towards his father. Chi-Chi was helping hers to his feet as Kakarot checked Bardock out for any injuries. "Are you okay!? Mom!? Is Zaire okay!? The babies-"

"We're fine, Kakarot," Bardock closed his son's lips with his thumb and index finger and pushed him forward gently. "The girl's old man almost became alligator bait but I took care of it. Vegeta's dumb ass killed one of his men."

Kakarot gaped at the prince who just spat into the water. He shook his head when he brought his focus back to his father. He hated the sight of it all. The bloody splotch in the river, the weapons, the fire, the tired look on his dad's face. It was hard to believe that humans, ones like Chi-Chi, had caused this. "I'm sorry Dad... this is all my fault..."

"Yes, yes it is," Bardock agreed but then added on when Gine hissed at him. "But it's fine, Kakarot. You found one of the good ones."

The son looked behind him at Chi-Chi who was arguing with her father. He had, but at what cost?

\--

"Oh Daddy how could you!?" Chi-Chi was in tears. She wiped them away furiously. "They are good people who live peacefully!"

"I didn't know, honey!" Ox frowned. He hated when his daughter was upset with him. "But...now I do. The older one saved my life."

The princess sniffed and glanced at Bardock was talking to Kakarot. "Yeah," she smiled through her tears. "They tend to do that. I was actually going to bring Kakarot to Fire Mountain and introduce him to you. You guys would get along great."

Ox King exhaled deeply as he took his daughter by her thin shoulders. He always told her the truth, even if it hurt. "I can tell you are very fond of this Kakarot person, Chi-Chi. But after everything, they'll find it hard to accept him. I don't want that life for either of you. He needs to stay here to keep his people safe. I hope you understand that."

Chi-Chi's tears continued to flow down her dirty face. She looked around her at the fire that surrounded the river. One small assumption had destroyed part of the jungle and threatened their home. She was torn between accepting her father's truthful words and another idea. One that Kakarot had proposed to her many times. Her voice came out quiet. "What if I stay here with them?"

"What was that, honey?"

Chi-Chi took in a deep breath. She knew somewhere deep down that her father would understand what she about to say since there was a time he felt what she did. "Daddy...I feel like love is when you just feel comfortable with someone and free to be who you are. I didn't have to pretend to be anything but me the whole time I spent with Kakarot. I didn't have to be perfect or clean or proper or anything. He introduced me to beauty beyond my dreams and... and I don't know! I don't want to give up this feeling that he gives me."

Ox wasn't sure if his heart was breaking because he knew what his daughter wanted, or because was on the verge of discovering true love. She had just described everything that her mother had given him. He used his large arms to gather her tightly into a hug, her entire body disappearing into him. "Whatever makes you happy, Chi-Chi. You'll always be in my heart."  
\--

5 Years Later...

Kakarot traced the outline of his mate's lips with a sly smile plastered on his face. They were hiding under the cover of the warm blanket that Ox King had given them the other day. Her eyes were doing their best not to flutter open, but she still couldn't fight that smile back. Kakarot kissed her teeth that were exposed and then pressed his nose against hers.

"Daddy! Mommy! Wake up! I wanna go swinging!"

Hiding from their son, Kakarot pretended to snore with his eyes wide open. Gohan, whose namesake came from the kind old man that allowed his house to be the meeting grounds for Ox and the couple, was jumping up and down on their bodies. The child was so excited about vine swinging after being introduced to it by his grandpa Bardock the other day that he just couldn't get enough of it, much to the parents' dismay. As much as they adored their son, they hadn't gotten much alone time lately.

Chi-Chi's warm breath touched his nose as she spoke in a whispered voice. "I just had a great idea... Vegeta still owes us big after he killed that soldier. I'm going to go ask him."

"Mm," Kakarot grinned lazily at her and kissed her forehead. "Sounds good." He held up a finger and silently counted down from five before they shot up from the blanket, scaring Gohan who had become delighted. Before the boy could run away, his parents snatched him up and began kissing his face all over. He giggled and did his best to nuzzle them simultaneously.

"I'm going to ask your Uncle Vegeta if he can take you, okay?" Chi-Chi rubbed his thick black hair lovingly while Kakarot chuckled. Vegeta absolutely hated being called an uncle. "Your daddy and I are, uh, have adult errands to do."

Gohan shrugged his shoulders but still kept his sweet smile. "Okay, Mommy! I like Uncle Vegeta!"

Chi-Chi left her family behind to wrestle as she left the cave. She gave Raditz a gentle slap on the back as she walked by him. He was looking through a basket of goods he had gathered. "Find anything interesting this time?"

"Yeah," Raditz blinked as pinched a circular object that had green in the middle. It had orange circles and a red triangle that was beeping. "I don't know what the hell it is though. Any guesses?"

The human shook her head. "Looks kinda like a compass. Where'd you find it?"

"Some camp. I think it was abandoned though." Raditz began tapping the object and searching it all over. Chi-Chi shrugged her shoulders and left him to it. She waved at Gine who was farther off chopping up some mystery meat she'd definitely not be engaging in. She continued her journey until she found who she had been looking for. He was sprawled out on the river rock like he was the first time she had found him.

"Ohhh, Vegeta! I've got a demand for you!" she sang out to him as his forehead vein pulsated.

"What the hell could that harpy woman possibly want..."

Chi-Chi crossed her arms over her chest. "You realize I've been speaking your language for years now, right?"

"I know," he snarled and sat up to glare at her. "And I don't take demands from creatures like you."

Bardock's voice was coming from the other side of the rock. He was walking up to them with a big basket of fish he had just caught. "It's the last thing you need to do and you'll be free, prince."

Vegeta muttered profanity under his breath. "Fine. If it'll be the last damn thing," he motioned with a finger roll for Chi-Chi to continue. "Spit it out, woman! I haven't got all day!"

"Take Gohan vine swinging."

"WHAT!?" Vegeta's neck was strained. That little spawn had to be the most annoying thing he had ever met. All he did was cry or laugh, there was no happy medium. "No. Get Raditz to do it."

Chi-Chi breathed upward so her bangs flew up briefly. She placed a hand on her nearly exposed hip. She had been wearing a variety of skins like Gine did and ditched her "people" clothes years ago. "Gohan specifically asked for you. Come on. Just this one little thing and you're done. You don't even have to do it with him. Just keep an eye on him."

After a good ten minutes of debating himself in his mind, a flustered Vegeta threw his hands up in the air and stomped towards the cave.  
\--

"Slow down you little bastard!" Vegeta grunted as he tried to keep up with the kid. There should be no reason the little spawn should swing faster than he could. The prince blamed it on the lack of protein he'd been able to consume that morning. There was no other possible explanation. "I said slow down, half breed!"

"Haha, haha! You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" Gohan looked over his shoulder and slapped his own little butt with one hand while using the other to hold onto the vine. "You're such a slowpoke, Uncle Vegeta! My grandpa could keep up and he's older than you!"

Vegeta growled. "Ah that's it! Come here!"

Gohan giggled as soon as the prince started speeding up. He was grabbing and slinging those vines like a madman trying to catch the child. The son of Kakarot was about to tease his uncle again but missed the next vine. He screamed as he fell down towards the ground. Vegeta froze until he heard the sound of him landing harshly followed by the ear piercing scream.

"Shit.."

He was about to jump down from the tree top to retrieve him, but he paused when a blue haired woman had got to Gohan first. She took out a notebook and began drawing a picture of him instead of trying to get him to stop crying. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about her ignoring the little bastard's pleas for her own benefit that intrigued him.

\--

Gohan was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He needed to get to his parents before Vegeta could. The little boy was out of breath by the time he had seen them. They were laying down on the grass. His mommy was laughing about something his daddy whispered into her ear.

"Mommy! Daddy! I have something to tell you!"

The mates sat up as soon as they heard his voice. Chi-Chi opened her arms wide for him to fall into. She gasped in horror at the enormous bump on his forehead. "Errrr I'm going to kill Vegeta!" she scowled and looked behind her son. "Where is he!? Did he leave you all alone!?"

"No!" Gohan panted. "He-He stole a lady!"

"What?" Kakarot scrunched his eyebrows together. "What lady?"

Before Gohan could reveal to them what his uncle had done, their answer was dropped down from the trees. She was releasing screams that were even louder than Gohan could manage and her hands and legs were bound with the green vines. Vegeta had soon landed beside her and held his hands to his ears while looking at the sweating Kakarot.

"What the hell, Kakarot! Why is this one screaming!? Your woman came in nice and quiet!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmfao! This could lead into a potentional Vegebul Tarzan AU but I am pretty sure that's been done way better than what I can do. I have a feeling Vegeta would end up doing the opposite and live with Bulma in her own "world" :)
> 
> Happy GoChi day everyone! :) Hope you read many wonderful stories and saw lots of beautiful fanart. Thanks for stopping by to read this one!


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